Highlights
- Arrowverse producer Marc Guggenheim suggests that Marvel Studios should "prune the tree" and reduce the amount of content in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as there is currently too much for fans to keep up with.
- Guggenheim compares the fourth phase of the MCU to the discovery that both the Marvel and DC print universes went through, suggesting that a reboot or clean slate may be necessary to shed unnecessary "barnacles" and revitalize the franchise.
- Guggenheim's advice, although seemingly drastic, should be taken seriously as he has experience in maintaining an interconnected franchise and understands the challenges of keeping shows cohesive and appealing. The growing trend of needing a clean slate in the MCU may require action from Disney CEO Bob Iger.
Arrowverse producer Marc Guggenheim weighed in on the current state of rival company Marvel Studios' interconnection of shows and movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. His advice to Kevin Feige comes when the MCU franchise seems to be struggling to maintain what was once an untouchable level of success with fans.
Starting with 2008’s Iron Man, the MCU is a large media franchise and an interconnected cinematic universe made up of adaptations and original content revolving around characters, story arcs, and other IPs stemming from the pages of Marvel Comics. The franchise rollouts were split into Phases, allowing fans to easily follow through and join in at any point within the overarching narrative. Over time, the franchise grew exponentially and became a worldwide phenomenon, with the mainline MCU films doing so well that only blockbusters like Tom Cruise's Top Gun: Maverick could beat the Avengers' box office record.
However, the MCU's popularity has dropped significantly, with the recent Secret Invasion setting a disappointing new record for the Disney-owned franchise. Guggenheim weighed in on the situation during an interview on the Aarthi and Sriram YouTube channel. "If I was suddenly in [Marvel Studios President] Kevin Feige's role, basically, I would do what Iger was saying, which is prune the tree. You know, there's just too much content. I'm like the biggest Marvel nerd ever, and I haven't seen Moon Knight. I just can't keep up. There's just too much content."
Guggenheim compared The Winter Soldier and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness to highlight issues with the MCU's fourth phase, like how many fans consider having to watch the Disney Plus shows too much homework. "That's the problem. Each of these movies in Phases 1 through 3, they all stood on their own. Look I get it. I think honestly what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is going through right now is the same discovery that the Marvel print universe and the DC print universe also went through," he said. "Which is - I think of these universes like ships, and the longer a ship sails, the more barnacles get attached to its hull, and the more that weighs down the ship and the more it affects how fast the ship can move through the water. And every now and again, you need to do some sort of reboot that scrapes off the barnacles, like 'Crisis on Infinite Earths.'"
Guggenheim, who admitted to feeling like he wasted his time on DC's Arrowverse shows due to the lack of recognition he got from James Gunn and Peter Safran when they undertook the restructuring of the mainline franchise, certainly speaks for a growing number of his fellow fans. More to the point, he has a different but equally useful perspective as someone who has tackled the issue of keeping an interconnected franchise of disparate shows together cohesively and appealingly. This means that his advice should be considered seriously, no matter how seemingly drastic or unprofitable.
While some fans might not feel that Guggenheim's radical advice is necessary, it does seem like the MCU is trending more and more towards needing a clean slate to let newer fans in on the action and renew interest from older fans. With The Marvels already being flagged for requiring too much Disney Plus homework, Bob Iger will have to do something about the MCU situation soon.
Source: Aarthi and Sriram/YouTube